Question of the Day #41

One day, out of the blue, I got an email from my old teacher.

上記の会話で、out of the blueの意味は？
In the dialogue above, what does "out of the blue" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

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解答

意味： 英辞郎によると、


思いがけなく、突然、いきなり、出し抜けに、不意に、予告なしに、前ぶれなしに、藪から棒に、唐突に◆【同】out of a clear （blue） sky

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

1. From an unexpected or unforeseen source
2. At a completely unexpected time

Etymology/語源

Jakub Marian'sによると、

もともと、もっと長いイディオムのout of the clear blue skyから生まれたout of the blueのblueは青空のこと。


また、別のイディオムが青空から何が現れるかを教えてくれている。そのバージョンとは、a bolt from the blue。この場合のboltとは、thunderboltすなわち稲妻。誰が、青空から稲妻が落ちると思うでしょうか？

従って、out of the blueは、予期せぬ出来事をいう。

According to Jakub Marian's:

How did people come up with such a strange idiom? The meaning of the word “blue” is revealed by a longer (but much less common) version of the idiom: out of a clear blue sky. “The blue” refers to the blueness of the sky.

Yet another version of the idiom reveals what comes out of a clear blue sky. It is possible to say that something unexpected is a bolt from the blue. While it would make sense that this “bolt” is a projectile fired from a crossbow (these are called “bolts”, not arrows), it is much more likely that it simply refers to a thunderbolt, i.e. lightning accompanied by thunder—who would expect a thunderbolt from a clear blue sky?

Examples

• I haven’t seen her since childhood. Then, completely out of the blue, I received a letter from her.
• One day, out of the blue, she announced that she was leaving.
• her brother showed up at the wedding out of the blue”

Weekend Recommendation #14

This week's recommendation:

今週のおすすめ：

bookboon.com

Why is this recommended?
なぜ、これがおすすめ？

Do you like free stuff? If you do you'll find a treasure trove of free e-books at bookboon.com. Everything from MS Office tutorials and English conversation books to personal development books. New books are added on a regular basis, so there is always something to check out.

このサイトは、無料の英語電子本を多数提供している。主に、学習用（MS Office、英会話等）のものと自己啓発のものだけれど、種類は豊富で新しい電子本が逐次追加されている。

bookboon.com

Question of the Day #40

"Wow, what did Betty do to her eyebrows?"
"Yeah, I know. They are on fleek!"

上記の会話でfleekの意味は？
In the dialogue above, what does "fleek" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

---

解答

意味： Dictionary.comによると、

形容詞、スラング（通常は、on fleekという形容詞節で使用される）
1. 完璧に整った、完璧にできた。かっこいい
2. 完璧、そつなく

Answer

According to Dictionary.com:

adjective, Slang. (usually used in the adjectival phrase on fleek)

1. flawlessly styled, groomed, etc.; looking great
2. perfect; flawless

Etymology/語源

Oxford Dictionariesによると、

21世紀初頭に特に理由がなくできた単語。2014年にKayla Newman (ユーザ名Peaches Monroee)が SNSのVineに投稿したビデオがきっかけで人気が出た。

According to Oxford Dictionaries:

Early 21st century: apparently an arbitrary formation; popularized in a 2014 video post on the social media service Vine by Kayla Newman (‘Peaches Monroee’).

Note/注

もっと詳しい説明を読みたい方は、下記リンクをクリック。
For a more in-depth explanation of the word and its origins, click the link below.

Vocab on Fleek

Examples

• Eyebrows—the original things that were on fleek.
• ‘My hair is on fleek right now’
• ‘OMG the music is on fleek’
• ‘Have you ever seen anything so fleek in your life?’
• That song is fleek!

Question of the Day #39

When it comes to international trade, it isn't always a level playing field.

上記の会話で、level playing fieldの意味は？
In the dialogue above, what does "level playing field" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

公平な立場［条件］、均等な機会

Answer

According to Idioms.in:

• a situation that is fair to everyone
• where everyone gets the same opportunity
• a situation where everyone has an equal and fair chance of succeeding
• a fair competition, where no advantage is shown to one side

Etymology/語源

英辞郎によると、

levelには形容詞で「平らな」という意味もあり、a level playing fieldとすると「平らな競技場」すなわち「公平な条件」という意味になる。

Idioms.inによると、

比喩的には、1900年代から使われているが、印刷物でもっとも古い例は、下記Example 5の1977年のTyrone Daily Heraldのものである。

According to Idioms.in:

This phrase alludes to the fairness required in field games where a slope would clearly be an advantage for one side, for example, football and rugby. Figuratively, it has been used since the late 1900s, with the oldest record found being in 1977 from the Tyrone Daily Herald.

Examples

• If the tax systems are different in each European country, how can industries start on a level playing field?
• If we started off with a level playing field, everyone would have an equal chance.
• A higher minimum wage would help encourage a culture of work and alevel playing field for the rising generation.
• In this instance, that puts Romney and Obama on a level playing field.
• "Our philosophy is that we have no problem competing with the mutual savings banks if they start from the level playing field," Bolger said.

Question of the Day #38

One cosplayer said to his cosplay friend, "I tried to explain it to him, but he is such a muggle. He didn't get it."

上記の会話で、muggleの意味は？
In the dialogue above, what does "muggle" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

---

解答

意味：

1. （コスプレ等の特定の趣味趣向を持つ人から見る）部外者、よそ者、仲間外れ
2. 特定の活動ができない人、または特定の技能・技術が使えない人
3. ＜俗語＞マリフアナたばこまたはマリフアナを吸うこと

Answer

1. A person not involved or aware of your social circle's activities
2. A person who is not conversant with a particular activity or skill.
3. Marijuana cigarette or the act of smoking marijuana

Etymology/語源

本来は、Harry Potterの小説・映画の中で、魔法を使えない人を半ば軽蔑的に言う言葉であるが、今では、上記のような意味を持つようにもなった。
マリフアナたばこの意味の語源は、はっきりしないが、１９２０年代のNew Orleansで使われるようになった。

According to Oxford Dictionaries:

1990s: from mug + -le; used in the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling to mean ‘a person without magical powers’.

According to Wiktionary the etymology for the term as a marijuana cigarette is:

Origin unknown. First known to come into usage in New Orleans in the mid-1920s.

Examples

• ‘she's a muggle: no IT background, understanding, or aptitude at all’
• For after having written books of magic for a magical age, Rowling has come out with a book of muggle life for muggles.
• He was a complete muggle who thought he was very clever.

Weekend Recommendation #13

This week's recommendation:

今週のおすすめ：

Pocket

Why is this recommended?

なぜ、これがおすすめ？

Pocket is a great and free service which allows you to save any web page to view or read at a later time. You can also use meta tags to search through the pages that you have saved, and if you are anything like me, you will need to use the search function. There is also a smartphone app, so if you come across something that you want to read on your PC instead of your smartphone, that is also possible.
Pocket also has an email service called Pocket Hits that provides links to interesting and topical articles that you might otherwise miss.

Pocketは、 無料で大変便利なサイトで、どんなHPでも後で読むために保存することができる。メタタグも使用可能なので、私のように大量のHPを保存している場合は、比較的簡単に検索が可能。スマホアプリもあるので、スマホで保存して、あとでゆっくりパソコンで見ることもできる。
関心のある、長文の英語のHPやレシピ等、色々な使い道があると思う。
さらにPocketは、Pocket Hitsというメールサービスがあり、おすすめの時事問題等の記事を紹介している。私の場合、毎日届けてもらっているが、必ず読みたくなる記事が一つか二つある。

Pocket

Question of the Day #37

"According to this poll, Donald Trump is likely to win the election."
"Are you sure they aren't cherry-picking the data?"

上記の会話で、cherry-pickの意味は？
In the dialogue above, what does "cherry-pick" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

---

解答

意味：

1. 自分（自説）に都合の良いものだけを選ぶ
2. 自分の気に入ったものだけを選ぶ
3. 入念に選ぶ、えり好みする、いいとこ取り

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to pick or accept the best people or things in a group

Etymology/語源

Wiktionaryによると、

ボウルに入っているサクランボの中から一番いいものだけを自分のために選ぶ、または、ケーキ等のお菓子のサクランボを自分のために取ることからくる隠喩。

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、初めて使われたのが、1959年のBillboard誌。

According to Wiktionary

A metaphor, from the idea of picking through a bowl of cherries and seeking the best for oneself, or the idea of picking off the cherries for oneself from a cake or dessert.

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary: 


"to select the very best selfishly," 1959 (implied in cherry-picking), American English ("Billboard"), a pejorative figurative sense"

Examples

• If you cherry-pick science so that it resonates with your belief system, you are not understanding how science works.
• Like hundreds of its multinational brethren, Apple also is able to cherry-pick its costs.
• They argue that Cheney cannot be allowed to cherry-pick the evidence ashe did with intelligence relating to the Iraq War.
• The new schools were accused of cherry-picking the best students in the area.
• "Politicians try to cherry-pick judges who agree with them and attack those who do not" (Jeffrey Rosen).

Question of the Day #36

Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are major swing states in the 2016 presidential election.

上記の文で、swing stateの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "swing state" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

---

解答

意味：（とくに、大統領選挙においての）激戦州、（大統領選挙または上院・下院の過半数の）行方を左右する可能性のある州
swingは、「ブランコ」または「揺れる」の意味で、結果がはっきりしないことから、接戦州をこのように呼ぶ。battleground stateとも言う。

Answer

According to the Oxford Living Dictionaries:


A US state where the two major political parties have similar levels of support among voters, viewed as important in determining the overall result of a presidential election.

Etymology/語源

English Language & Usageが探し出した最も古い使用例は、 Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of 1953内にあった下記英文だが、文の内容はこれ以前に使われていたことを示唆している。

According to English Language & Usage:

The earliest example I could find is from the Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of 1953 from which it appears that the term was already in usage:

Finally I would like to say that we are a swing state. We are a swing state perhaps historically because the Republican and Democratic parties in this state have for some years now begun to build local political clubs in order to perform the...

Examples

• ‘he can won the swing states by talking about education and other issues that poll well’
• And Texas was/is on its way to becoming a swing state by 2024 or so, so this could have an impact on that.
• Every four years the Republican mindset says Wisconsin will be a swing state.

Question of the Day #35

One Indian-summer afternoon the sky turned a distinct chartreuse.

上記の文で、Indian summer の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "Indian summer" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

---

解答

意味：インディアンサマー、小春日和
詳細な説明は、下記英語の説明参照。

Answer

According to the Grammarist:

Indian summer refers to a specific weather phenomenon. Indian Summer is a period of time in autumn when the days are warm, the nights are chilly and the atmosphere is dry, following the first cold snap.

Etymology/語源

Grammaristによると、


Indian summerという表現が著作物で初めて使われたのが、１７７８年のフランス系アメリカ人のJ.H. St. John de Crèvecoeurが書いたLetters From an American Farmer。いつ頃から使われた表現かは不明。由来に関しては、幾つかの説がある。一つは、アメリカの原住民がもっとも狩りを好んでした時期だったとか。また、Indian summerは「偽の夏」という軽蔑的な表現だったという説もある。

According to the Grammarist:

The term Indian summer was first seen in a book entitled Letters From an American Farmer, written by French-American J. H. St. John de Crèvecoeur in 1778. It is unknown how long the term was in use before this publication. There are several theories as to the origin of this word. One theory is that the Native Americans’ favorite time to hunt was Indian summer. Another theory is that Indian summer is a pejorative to describe a counterfeit summer.

Examples

• As the warm Indian summer gives way to cool evenings, head to South America and focus on two wines that come from Chile and Argentina respectively.
• English already had names for the phenomenon – St. Luke’s Summer, St. Martin’s Summer or All-Hallown Summer – but these have now all but disappeared and, like the rest of the world, the term Indian summer has been used in the UK for at least a century. 
• After the cold snap, a pleasant spell of Indian summer weather allowed us to finish building the backyard deck.

Weekend Recommendation #12

This week's recommendation:

今週のおすすめ：

MacMillan Dictionary

Why is this recommended?

なぜ、これがおすすめ？

Aside from being a fine dictionary site, the top page has links to a blog with interesting articles, a BuzzWord, an Open Dictionary or a crowdsourced dictionary, a series of videos about "English spoken around the world," and a spelling quiz. It's an interesting page about the English language that has a relatively clean interface and doesn't try to bury you with too much information.

このサイトは、もちろん英英辞書であるが、他にトップページに英語に関するブログへのリンク、BuzzWord （流行り言葉）、誰もが投稿できるウィキぺディア方式の辞書 、「世界で使用されている英語」に関する様々なビデオ、綴りのクイズ等がある。英語に関する情報量は決して少なくないが、HP自体はすっきりしていて、日本の多くのHPのように宣伝や内容が溢れているわけではないので、好きです。

MacMillan Dictionary

Question of the Day #34

"Have you decided whether you're going to the party or not?"
"No, I'm still on the fence about it."

上記の会話で、on the fenceの意味は？
In the dialogue above, what does "on the fence" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

---

解答

意味：どっちつかずの態度で、中立の、まだ決定していない

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

1. undecided about something. (*Typically: be ~; sit ~.)
2. not able to decide something
3. Undecided as to which of two sides to support; uncommitted or neutral.

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、「どっちつかずの態度で、中立の」の意味で初めて使われたのが、1828年頃とのこと。（より詳しい説明は、下記英語またはリンクを参照。）

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary:

To be figuratively on the fence "uncommitted" is from 1828, perhaps from the notion of spectators at a fight, or a simple literal image: "A man sitting on the top of a fence, can jump down on either side with equal facility." [Bartlett, "Dictionary of Americanisms," 1848].

Examples

• Ann is on the fence about going to Mexico. I wouldn't be on the fence. I'd love to go.
• Many consumers are still on the fence, waiting to see if a better, less expensive computer will come along.
• Most people sit on the fence and would rather say "maybe" than "yes" or "no."
• “some who had been on the fence came out in favor of the plan”

Question of the Day #33

今回は、和文英訳の問題。
最近、時々テレビ等で「ボリューミー」というカタカナ用語を聞きます。
例えば、
「ボリューミー・スマホ」
「超ボリューミーなサンドウィッチ」
この二つをなんと訳す？また、「ボリューミー」に一つの適訳があるとすれば、それは何？

There is a Japanized sort-of-English word that is sometimes heard on tv, etc. In romanized form it is spelled boryuumii.
For example:
「ボリューミー・スマホ」
「超ボリューミーなサンドウィッチ」
Can you translate the two phrases above? Or can you guess what the correct English word might be?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

---

解答

ボリューミー = Voluminous
ただし、個人的には、上記の例の場合は、voluminousを使いません。なぜなら、Oxford Dictionariesの定義を見ればわかるように、この形容詞が使用できる対象の名詞が限定されているから。


1. (of clothes) very loose or full; having much fabric.
• (of a piece of furniture) large and accommodating.
2. (of writing) very lengthy and detailed.
• (of a writer) producing many books.

なので、私だったら上のフレーズを下記のように訳します

「ボリューミー・スマホ」= a huge smartphone
「超ボリューミーなサンドウィッチ」= an enormous sandwich

Answer

For ボリューミー the best translation would probably be voluminous.
As the definitions in the Oxford Dictionaries show, however, this adjective can only be used for certain nouns.

1. (of clothes) very loose or full; having much fabric.
• (of a piece of furniture) large and accommodating.
2. (of writing) very lengthy and detailed.
• (of a writer) producing many books.

So, I'd probably translate the two phrases above by using different adjectives, such as:

「ボリューミー・スマホ」= a huge smartphone
「超ボリューミーなサンドウィッチ」= an enormous sandwich

Question of the Day #32

"What kind of car did you get?"

"I got a Beemer."
"What? You bought a motorcycle?"

"No, I bought a car."

"Oh, then you mean you got a Bimmer."

上記の会話で、BeamerとBimmerの意味は？
In the dialogue above, what do "Beamer" and "Bimmer" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

---

解答

意味：
BMW Car Club of BCによると、


• BeemerまたはBeamerは、BMW社のオートバイの俗称
• Bimmerは、BMW社の自動車の俗称

Answer

From the BMW Car Club of BC:

• Beemer or Beamer is the proper accepted slang for BMW motorcycles.
• Bimmer is the proper accepted slang for BMW cars.

Etymology/語源

Oxford Dictionariesのウェブサイトによると、1980年代に登場した俗称で、BMWの最初の二文字(BM)にerをつけたもの。
BMW Car Club of BCには、もう少し詳しい説明があり、BeemerとBeamerは、もう少し古いのではないかと主張している。

According to the Oxford Dictionaries website: 1980s (originally US): representing a pronunciation of the first two letters of BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG) + -er.
The BMW Car Club of BC has a slightly more detailed explanation which indicates that Beemer or Beamer is older.

Weekend Recommendation #11

This week's recommendation:

今週のおすすめ：

The Famous Last Words of Famous People

Why is this recommended?

なぜ、これがおすすめ？

I've always found quotes to be interesting and useful (especially when I was involved in public speaking), so for that reason alone this page interests me, although it does seem to be a bit morbid. :)

このサイトは、ゲーテの「もっと光を！」のような臨終の時の名言集です。もともとスピーチをやっていた学生時代から名言が好きで、ちょっと悪趣味（？）のような気もするが、このようが臨終名言集も面白いと思います。

The Famous Last Words of Famous People

Question of the Day #31

Week 6: New York Giants dodge a bullet beating Detroit Lions 28-20

上記のとあるスポーツ面の見出しの dodge a bulletの意味は？
In the headline above, what does "dodge a bullet" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

---

解答

意味：英辞郎によると「弾丸をよける、問題［嫌なこと］を回避する、惨事［悲惨な結果］を免れる」とあるが、最初の「弾丸をよける」は確かに間違いではいかもしれないが、現実的にあまり使わないでしょう。（笑）これは、どちらかというと、語源だと思う。

Answer

According to Oxford Dictionaries: Manage to avoid a difficult or unwelcome situation.

Etymology/語源

Super Beefyによると、このイディオムは、第一次世界大戦の兵隊が使い始めたとのこと。当時の砲弾は、目で見えるほど遅く飛んだので、避けることができたとか。

According to Super Beefy: "The expression derives from soldiers in World War I who talked about artillery shells that could be avoided because they arced through the air slowly enough to be seen."

Examples

• ‘He dodged a bullet with his Oct. 24 mistrial, but his troubles aren't over.’
• A: "I heard that John has become a drug addict and is living out of his car. Didn't you two used to date?" B:"Yeah, but we broke up about five years ago. Looks like I dodged a bullet on that one."
• I really dodged the bullet when my exam was postponed to next week, as I hadn't studied for it at all!
• I couldn’t get time off work to go camping last weekend, but it was raining all weekend so I guess I dodged a bullet.

Question of the Day #30

"What do you think of my new computer?"
"Well, there's a lot of cruft in it."

上記の会話で、cruftの意味は？
In the dialogue above, what does "cruft" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

---

解答

OxfordDictionaries.comによると：

• 粗悪な（お粗末な・無駄に複雑な・不要な）コード・プログラム・ソフトウェア
• [形容詞] crufty: 粗悪な（とくに無駄に複雑な）デザイン（のソフト等）

Answer

According to OxfordDictionaries.com:

• Badly designed, unnecessarily complicated, or unwanted code or software.
• [adj.] crufty: Of software: poorly designed, especially unnecessarily or unintentionally complex; containing redundant code.

Etymology/語源

The Free Dictionaryによると、

1950年代のマサチューセッツ工科大学の学生のスラング用語。由来は、ハーバード大学で物理学部が不要の器具を保管したCruft Hall（Cruft Laboratoryの通称）という説がある。

形容詞のcruftyは、OxfordDictionaries.comによると1980年代から使用されていて、最も古い使用例はCoEvolution Quarterly誌。

According to The Free Dictionary:


[Originally 1950s Massachusetts Institute of Technology students' slang, perhaps after Cruft Hall (the informal name for Cruft Laboratory, a building on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the physics department stored unused technical equipment), humorously taken as "hall of cruft" (perhaps influenced by crud and crust).]

According to OxfordDictionaries.com, the adjective crufty originated in the 1980s with the earliest use found in CoEvolution Quarterly.

Examples

• Jim had to spend several days cleaning up the cruft left behind in the code by the newbie programmer.
• "By removing cruft, you can recover valuable disk space and reduce the chance of software conflicts." (Joe Kissell)
• So the more cruft there is in an interface, the more difficult it will be to use.
• This allows you to get very specific with your searches and weed out a lot of the cruft that can get in the way of good results.
• This will help control the cruft on your system as you install and remove source packages.

Question of the Day #29

今日は、ちょっと毛色の違う問題。
A slightly different question today.

インターネット等を使わずに、モデルの「ミランダ・カー」の氏名の英語の綴りが分かりますか？
Without using Google or any other Internet source, can you guess whom the Japanese know as "Miranda Kah"?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

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解答/Answer

意味：

Miranda Kerr

苗字の発音に特に注意してください。 Note that Japanese should be especially careful of how they pronounce Kerr.

Weekend Recommendation #9

This week's recommendation:

今週のおすすめ：

Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary

Why is this recommended?

なぜ、これがおすすめ？

This is similar in concept to the Simple English Wikipedia posted to in Weekend Recommendation #7, in that it is a dictionary with simplified English definitions. Therefore, it is a good dictionary not only for students of English as a foreign language, but also children of native speakers.

このサイトは、 Weekend Recommendation #7で紹介したSimple English Wikipediaと同じコンセプトで、単語の定義をより簡単な英語で説明しています。このサイトは、初中級レベルの人のためだけではなく、ビッグワードではなく簡単な英語で説明することを覚えるという意味でも役に立つと思います。

Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary